The End of Schools Extended Network Schemes

It is so sad the Government is pulling funding from the Extended Network schemes around primary schools. Best has been starting to work with these to provide opportunities for children who might need a bit of a helping hand. The results with our first few students were extremely encouraging - so much so that Hatfield were using their work with us as a case study!

But now it seems the scheme is at an end. We are trying to do what we can by offering scholarships to local schools but we fear that without more funding our gestures of goodwill may be but a cry in the wilderness.

Our thoughts are with the excellent people who had been driving these schemes and who are shortly to be made redundant and with the children who will be missing out on the kinds of experience that can change lives.

A news report this morning bemoaned the fact that the rush to reality TV was spawning a whole new breed of expensive but unaccredited full-time drama schools where celebrity wannabees were being promised the stars but achieving little! It seems that literally hundreds have sprung up while the number of properly certified schools (21) has stayed almost unchanged for many years.

We're conscious that some of our students might want to take their performance training on to advanced levels. Many do GCSE Drama or Dance, or BTec's in Performing Arts. Some will then go on to A level. And that still might not be enough... so what next?

LAMDA classes such as ours are an excellent way of building your performance CV prior to application, as is attending the National Youth Theatre or other respected holiday courses.

Being 'sensible' parents we advise getting a degree behind you if you have a good academic background. There are many fantastic drama, performing arts or other performance based courses available at good universities, with more specialised courses at some up-and-coming colleges.

Some of the accredited drama schools too can now offer degrees which makes them perhaps an increasingly attractive option.

But whatever you want to do, RESEARCH! There are more and more channels through which to gather first hand experiences of these courses. Go to open days, see their shows, go to holiday courses. Do whatever you can to make sure you are choosing the course that is right for you.

Here are some helpful links

The Council of Drama Schools

National Council for Drama Training

Dramaschoolsearch - Useful independent website

Courses-Careers

Dramaclasses.biz - recently set up but an attractive site!

Everyone's got a view. And at Best we're no exception. This section will deal with any more general issues surrounding theatre, training and children.

To be honest we probably don't hold any really controversial views but there are some questions we get asked over and over again - we'll try and deal with some of those here.

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